Coming to the start of a new year, I thought I would delve into one of my ‘unscanned photos’ boxes. I picked this particular small album of images as they are such a mystery. Great photos but have no idea who they are or do we? Every single photo has nothing written on the back but one photo has this written on the front. It is my only clue. Even if I don’t find out who this family are, their photos are splendid, taken by an amateur photographer I think as they are all on very thin paper and outdoors for more light.

Who are Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? They are obviously related and very likely brothers so are these three men actually called Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego? or was this a fun saying? ‘Three Buccaneers of the Good Intent‘

So after a bit of research, I came up with these definitions for breaking down the sentence.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Hebrew names Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah) are figures from the biblical Book of Daniel, primarily chapter 3. In the narrative, the three Hebrew men are thrown into a fiery furnace by Nebuchadnezzar II, King of Babylon for refusing to bow to the king’s image. The three are preserved from harm and the king sees four men walking in the flames, “the fourth … like a son of God”. From Wikipedia.

As for the ‘Good Intent‘ I have found so many Ships/Sailing Boats called The Good Intent and also there were many Pubs that were named after those same Ships or Boats.

These are the various definitions from Collins and Cambridge dictionaries: A ‘Buccaneer’ was a pirate. Buccaneers often attacked and stole from Spanish ships in the 17th and 18th centuries.
If you describe someone as a buccaneer, you mean that they are clever and successful, especially in business, but you do not completely trust them.
A business person who is determined to succeed even if this involves taking big risks.

This next photo looks like a proud Father don’t you think? Baptism day for Twins?

Some of these were obviously taken at a tea party held on the grounds of a lovely house and looking at what the people are wearing and the beautiful shawls around the babies they have money. Of course, also I think it most definitely looks like the babies are twins. But there’s also the possibility that these two babies were from different members of the family and the chap below is a godfather at the baptism? Was the tea party held after their Baptism, it seems very likely and held during the Edwardian era 1901-1910.

This lady below holding the babies looks the most likely to be the Mother. The same lady sat in the centre in the above photo, were the other two ladies sisters or sisters-in-law?

Was this the entrance to the Church below where the babies were Baptised? Does anyone recognise the entrance to this Church below?

Family History. Well, where to start on this family? I couldn’t help but look for those three names Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

I need a family with three brothers of that name born in the 1860s 1870s? Briefly looking for those three names I am astonished at how many families had sons with those names! If only I had an area of the country it would help. So to try from a different angle.

Coupled with the fact that one of them, likely was the father of Twins. If I could find two Baptism entries at the same place at the same time, likely during the Summer months, it would surely help to point me in the right direction…I hope. Of course, I have to also remember that some families had more than one child of different ages baptised together at any one time too, so each one will need checking.

Abednego. So I thought I would try the FREE sites first, on Family Search I put in 1900-1910 for any Birth in England (Exact) with the Father being Abednego (Exact).

55 Results. But they were also 1901 and 1911 census records too, which for now I didn’t want. The Baptisms gave me 1) Mary Martha and Amelia WRIGHT. Parents Abednego and Martha Wright on 9 December 1902 Newlyn, Cornwall. 2)Alfred Harry and Walter Allan BOARD. Parents Abednego and Minnie Board on 21 September 1901. Looking at the first image for Wright it states that the two girls were Adults Baptised, so I can count those out. Next, I looked for the actual image of the second Baptism, available on Find My Past but I don’t have that subscription at the moment so I looked back on Ancestry. Glad I did as someone had written Alfred Harry at the bottom of the first page below and then crossed it out and written it again with his correct Surname of TURNER. Looks like there was a muddle when they were Baptised on the same day, so Walter Allan Board did not have a Twin. Then it was transcribed incorrectly on Family Search. At least on Ancestry, the incorrect and correct entries were transcribed. It always pays to look at the image! I’m going to try the same search on Ancestry and see what I get. There are 26 results. I either looked at the actual images of the Baptisms or the family on the 1911 census records to see if there were Twins or indeed if they had a child that had died pre-1911 and search to see if there was a Twin but again no luck. Of course, there was always the chance the two babies were not Twins but born close together and related in some way and they held the Baptisms together so you would have 2 different surnames. Very frustrating.

I also found this entry which made me smile, all three names together! No help I know but oh dear!

Now Meshach being named as the father. I decided to stick with Ancestry for searching. 58 results, some doubles as before though. This was my best find below, or so I thought until I looked at the 1911 census and saw the three children were 1,3 and 5 years old!

Lastly Shadrach as the father. Even more than the last two names, this time 232! I found three children born to a Shadrach GALE in Calstock, Cornwall but they were all different ages baptised together. Then I found a family SMITH, 4 baptised together in Peterborough, Northamptonshire but again they were all different ages.

It’s a very very frustrating puzzle and one that I don’t think I shall solve.

I decided also to look for any other photos on Ancestry public trees that might match those three names as I thought there might be a slim chance of finding a match, Abednego first 443 pictures/documents were scanned! Next Meshach 2,486, most seem to be documents or Headstones. Shadrach 3,020……no luck either.

Views of the garden, obviously summertime as all the trees are in leaf and the borders are full of flowers.

These other old photos from the album may well have been taken at different times.

These are really sweet photos of young children beautifully dressed. Love the little girl below, holding her cat.

One of the three brothers below a little older or is someone else?

A lovely little family group of Grandmother, daughter and grandchildren?

This is a beautiful house, does anyone recognise it? Is it still standing and where is it? Who is that couple? Wish I knew! Any information at all might lead to being able to identify this family album.

Now, this next one may hold a clue to what area of the Country this family lived in. Do you recognise it? Do you recognise the large Church near the water? Could it be Suffolk or Norfolk area?

Isn’t this just a lovely photo of a Donkey pulling a cart and giving the young children a ride? Outside that nice house again. If only I knew where that was, do hope someone out there can recognise it!

Quite honestly I’m totally stuck now, I just seem to be going around in circles on this wonderful group of old photos.

Is there anyone out there that could help? I am at a total loss as to what to do next. Maybe I’m missing something obvious? Help Please!!!

Till Next time then…….